An MP3 file of the song "Happy Birthday" performed by the popular alt-country darlings Wilco has been making quite a stir in file-sharing world and getting rave reviews from the record reviewers who have downloaded it.

Critics everywhere — from Rolling Stone, Spin, Alternative Press to Ebony, Rosie and Newsweek — are hailing this version of the sing-along classic, "The Best Song of 2003."

"I realize we are only in the first week of the new year, but I find it hard to believe any subsequent release will be as good as this," said Greg Holsapple of the alt-rock magazine, No Depression. "It's an elegant yet heartfelt low-fi masterpiece. Like most Wilco songs, it seems uninspired at first listen, but upon future spins, you realize and feel the sublime beauty of it."

The "live" song was performed after a recent Wilco show. Jeff Tweedy, the main singer-songwriter for the band, called his mother to wish her a happy birthday. He and the other band members picked up their acoustics and performed an impromptu, yet expertly crafted 47-second rendition of the party favorite. Everyone backstage within earshot was floored by the hauntingly poignant paean to a mother from a loving son. Many listeners broke down and sobbed.